


Articulation

by hakkais_shadow



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Fluff and Smut, Kai is a dancing machine, M/M, Originally Posted on LiveJournal, Sehun is a workaholic, Sehun needs to get laid
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-06
Updated: 2015-04-06
Packaged: 2018-03-21 11:34:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,252
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3690747
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hakkais_shadow/pseuds/hakkais_shadow
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Workaholic Sehun barely managed to make the last subway train home - why was this guy laughing at him?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Articulation

_Articulation: the manner or method of jointing parts such that each part is clear and distinct in relation to the others, even though joined._  
  
“Do you know what time it is, Sehun?”  
  
The young architect hummed softly in response, holding up his hand to stop the other’s words.  
  
“Just a minute, hyung...just finishing a sketch for the Beijing project.”  
  
As familiar with computers as he was, there was still something comforting about taking a good old #2 pencil to paper, the faint scritch-scratch of graphite against the smooth surface a lulling cadence to Sehun’s ears. Honestly, there were times it gave him more satisfaction than completing a 3-D reconstruction on his Mac Pro. His fingertips were stained by the musty gray filings and he often had to send his white button-downs to the cleaners by the end of the week but he didn’t mind. It was tactile pleasure, he supposed, something real as opposed to something theoretical.  
  
Kyungsoo sighed, shaking his head.  _Deja vu strikes again, kid_. It was the same thing every night. He would tell his younger colleague what time it was, Sehun would tell him ‘just a minute,’ and then he would slip back into his self-induced, work-related trance. Kyungsoo would go grab another cup of stronger-than-unleaded coffee and return in a few minutes to remind the kid once again, only to get the same response. Rinse and repeat at least three or four times.   
  
Oh Sehun had been employed by Kim Enterprises for the past year and was the company’s most promising new architect but this was getting ridiculous. Kyungsoo was here late because that was his job as Floor Supervisor but Sehun was young and should be out drinking with his buddies, bitching and moaning about his horrible work conditions (they weren’t) and terrible boss (as if - Kim Junmyeon was a pushover). Instead the kid was already a workaholic and on his way to an empty bed at night and an ulcer by the time he was thirty.  
  
After the third reminder Kyungsoo stopped by Sehun’s desk, clad in his wool peacoat and pulling on his gloves. “It’s 10, Sehun. You know the password to lock up and don’t forget that the subway closes at midnight.” He said this every night and usually got the same distracted nod and ‘Yes, hyung” in response. He waited for it.  
  
Nod. “Yes, hyung.”  
  
There it was.  
  
Kyungsoo shook his head and took his leave. If he thought that Sehun would hear him he’d tell the boy that he needed to relax and get laid at least a couple times a week but it really wasn’t any of his business. He himself had a hot boyfriend with big hands and a gummy smile to get home to. He’d put those lips to work.  
  
Sehun barely noticed the older man leave, lost in thought as his long fingers guided the pencil across the paper with a dexterity and skill far beyond what was expected from his age. His mother had remarked that he had always been focused, even as a child, his solemn little face frowning as he figured out math problems years ahead of his grade in school. Such focus hadn’t earned him many friends while he was growing up, whispers (and louder) of ‘nerd’ and ‘suck-up’ trailing behind the studious little boy and following him through junior high and high school. The few friends he had stood up for him, sometimes with words (one did not get into an argument with Baekhyun and expect to come out of it alive), other times with actions (Chanyeol had a mean left hook). But even his friends couldn’t understand why Sehun didn’t say anything.  
  
When they asked they were often met with a shrug. “I have better things to do than worry about that.”  
  
And he did - graduated high school at 16, undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering at KAIST by the time he was 19, and master’s in architecture by the time he was 22. He had a direction and a goal and he was going to succeed - even if it cost him interpersonal relationships.   
  
So far he hadn’t been far off. He was the youngest associate ever at Kim Enterprises and had what Kim Joonmyeon said was a bright future at the firm - but at what cost? He had a nice apartment, a stylish wardrobe that got him more than a few glances on the subway, and a cranky scottish fold cat that Baekhyun said looked like him on a good day (Sehun wasn’t sure whether his friend meant when Sehun was having a good day or when Brutus was).  
  
He also hadn’t had a date in months.   
  
And no, that….encounter with Huang Zitao didn’t count. His boss had meant well, but Joonmyun couldn’t have paired up two less likely people. ‘Call me Tao’ was an up and coming fashion designer who didn’t know an obtuse angle from a triangle and thought that bond had something to do with spy movies. He insisted on watching Disney movies and cried on Sehun’s shoulder the whole time and had no idea how to play video games (which was a travesty in Sehun’s opinion). Besides, he had a pocket pooch named Candy that Brutus could have easily eaten - and Sehun was convinced he had seen the cat lick its chops when Tao had brought that bit of yippy fluff over.   
  
Tao’s hands had been nice, though. Sehun might be a nerd but he wasn’t dead. They’d managed to get beyond first base, past second and third - a solid triple. He’d looked down at Tao as the other’s lips wrapped around his cock - and found himself thinking about flying buttresses and his next assignment. That was the last time they had gotten together. Last he heard Tao was dating some dancer who was just a flexible as the designer and had dimples to boot.  
  
Sketch finished, the architect by chance glanced up at the clock - and swore.  
  
11:25 pm.  
  
Last subway left in 35 minutes. If he didn’t leave now he’d have to catch a cab home.  
  
Sehun crumpled the wax paper his sandwich had been wrapped in and tossed it in the trash, a few errant crumbs escaping to scatter across his desk. With a sigh he swiped his hand across the flat, cool surface, leaving the last vestiges of a long-ago lunch littering the floor for the evening janitor to clean - a twinge of guilt quickly submersed in the overwhelming need to go home and catch a few hours of sleep before the cycle began again.   
  
He pulled his black wool coat on and wrapped a thick red scarf around his neck, tucking it into his collar, the nubby surface warm against his skin. He locked up the office and headed the few blocks to the nearest subway station, stuffing his rapidly cooling hands in his pockets and lowering his head as he trudged forward. The snow that had been mere whispers hours before had picked up, no longer gentle fluff but harsh and uncompromising. He slipped once or twice against the slush on the sidewalks but managed to keep himself upright until he got to the station, hanging onto the railing as he rushed down to slide his T-money pass across the turnstyle. It was with a sigh of relief that he caught the last subway car, sinking onto a seat as the door closed behind him, leaning forward to catch his breath.  
  
A chuckle from not far away made Sehun look up, his usually slicked back blonde hair mussed beyond recognition in his attempt to catch the last subway home. At this time of night the subway cars were never very full and tonight was no exception so it wasn’t too difficult for Sehun to figure out who was laughing at him.  
  
It was  _Him_.  
  
Since the subway was usually so deserted at this time of night Sehun had grown familiar with the usual occupants. There were a few office workers like himself but often more overworked and underpaid and not by choice - they usually kept to themselves or were on the phone with their wives, explaining why they were running late yet again. Others were three sheets to the wind although it wasn’t yet that late, drunk-whispering to each other (which pretty much meant they were hushing each other in VERY LOUD VOICES).  
  
But this one man wasn’t like the others. He seemed about Sehun’s age, give or take a couple of years. Sometimes he wore a suit like Sehun but just as often he was clad in sweats and a t-shirt, snapback perched backwards on his head and earphones in place. He was usually on the subway before Sehun got on and remained after he got off. They’d made eye contact once or twice - a nod of acknowledgment before they each went back to their own little contained worlds.  
  
He’d never laughed at Sehun before though. At first the architect was offended, a frown crossing his handsome features. Then he caught a look at himself in window - flushed cheeks, blonde hair like a lion’s mane where he had been trying to push it back, and that scowl. Sehun couldn’t keep his frown for long, an embarrassed laugh of his own joining the stranger’s.  
  
Before he knew it he found the space between their seats a lot shorter, the dark-haired man now sitting right across from him. If he hadn’t noticed it before (and of course he had - Sehun may be oblivious at times but he wasn’t blind) it was pretty obvious now that this guy was gorgeous. It was undeniably winter but the man across from him had that sun-kissed look that always drove Sehun to muted fits of jealousy (manifested by a scowl even more scowly than usual) when he saw someone like that on the beach. Those were the type of guys who were surfers and wakeboarders. Sehun was the type of guy who hid from the sun’s rays beneath a gigantic umbrella while he tried to do the additional work Joonmyun told him not to do on his vacation.  
  
“You need to stop slicking your hair back. That and your expressions make you look constipated all the time. Relax a little.”  
  
Sehun blinked, taken aback by the bluntness of the stranger’s comment. “You don’t even know me,” he protested with a shake of the head.  
  
“No, but I’d like to. I’m Jongin.”  
  
Kim Jongin was a dance professor at Korean National University of Arts, which was pretty impressive as he was only a year older than Sehun. Sehun supposed the guy could be considered a prodigy in his own right, something that drew him closer to Jongin both mentally and physically - before he stopped to think about it he was sitting beside the other man and listening to Jongin talk about his most recent choreography. He mainly listened but it was comfortable and Sehun found that he was enjoying himself.  
  
The trip home was a lot shorter than it usually was and by the time they reached his stop Sehun had Jongin’s cell phone number and had promised the other that he would call or text Jongin the next day.  
  
**************  
  
Weeks passed and short conversations by text became stops for coffee at the few coffee shops that stayed open late. Fingers curled around a white chocolate mocha as he learned more about Jongin, including the fact that he had 3 dogs but that they lived with his parents and were at least larger than Candy (and therefore no threat to Brutus’ appetite), that he loved chicken and beer and horror movies (in that order), and that he had noticed Sehun several weeks before their first interaction. Surprising himself Sehun also found that he was opening up to the dance professor more than he had to anyone else before, including discussing his aspirations as well as some of his fears. It was easy with Jongin - and frankly, that was a bit frightening.  
  
_So I thought you were going to call me. :(_  
  
Sehun looked up from his project, the chime of his phone startling him out of his usual intense focus.  
  
_Ah, sorry. Got caught up in work._  
  
_It’s okay. You can make it up to me with coffee after work.:) :) ;)_  
  
Sehun stared at his phone for several minutes.  
  
_But I don’t get off work until late. You know that._  
  
Jongin’s answer wasn’t long in coming.  
  
_Then we’ll make it dinner._  And Jongin included the address to a restaurant that wasn’t far from Sehun’s apartment.  _Close to your stop :) Meet you at 8 pm._  
  
Kyungsoo was surprised the next time he passed Sehun’s office. The #2 pencil was silent and the young architect had a slight, bemused smile on his face. He was even more surprised when Sehun stopped working and pulled on his coat at 7, his eyes widening as he watched the other get ready to leave several hours before his usual time.  
  
“Leaving so soon? Nice hair by the way, Sehun-ah. It’s a good look on you.”  
  
Sehun looked up, self-consciously running his fingers through his no longer slicked back hair, the dirty blond strands falling soft and loose around his face. “Just meeting someone for dinner, hyung.”  
  
Kyungsoo arched an eyebrow and grinned. Kris would love hearing this. “Good for you! Work isn’t everything, you know. Have a good night.”  
  
Sehun nodded shyly, his nerves catching up with him. This feeling persisted with him throughout his trip from the office to the subway and beyond and he had to stop himself several times from just turning back to the safety and security of his diagrams and sketches. It was 7:55 when he got to the restaurant and he paused as his hand reached for the handle to the door. If he turned back now he could just go back to how things had been - he could continue his steady, scheduled way of life. It was safe, it was simple, his future lined up perfectly. He used to described his plan as being similar to the process of incorporating articulation into his architecture designs. Each piece was joined together fluidly and defined precisely, fitting perfectly into the whole. That’s the way his life was supposed to be.  
  
Or he could take a chance. It might not be perfect or precise and the parts may be a bit disjointed. Jongin might make his life less smooth, less perfect. He wasn’t predictable...  
  
Just as he was about to turn away he felt a warm hand on his shoulder, toying with the ends of his scarf. “Just in time,” Jongin said with a curious smile, as if he knew what the other was thinking. “Do you want to go in?”  
  
There it was - Jongin was giving him a way out. He could apologize, tell the other it had been a mistake and that they should just leave it at that. He’d see Jongin on those late subway rides and nothing more than that.  
  
“Yeah, I want to.”  
  
If anything Jongin’s smile deepened and he held the door open for Sehun, resting his hand lightly at the small of Sehun’s back as the architect passed. It sent a thrill through Sehun’s spine and he was sure Jongin could feel how fast his heart was racing even with that slight contact.  
  
They were seated in a cozy nook, the lights soft and romantic. “You’d almost think you were taking me out on a date,” Sehun joked nervously after they’d placed their order and were savoring a glass of wine.  
  
“What if I told you I was?” Jongin asked with a smile. Looking up and meeting Jongin’s intense gaze, Sehun realized the other was serious. “I like you, Sehun. I like your quirky seriousness, your intensity, your dedication to your job, even the fact you have a cat named Brutus…” He grinned at the pout that came to Sehun’s lips as he teased, nudging Sehun’s foot under the table.   
  
Dinner was Italian and the conversation was pleasant, setting Sehun’s worries aside once more. They talked about work - Jongin about his students (Namjoon had two left feet but was so earnest in his attempts that Jongin didn’t have the heart to discourage him and Jimin - well, the kid was a brilliant dancer but Jongin needed to find a way to get him to keep his shirt on) and Sehun about his colleagues (Kyungsoo’s boyfriend was kind of scary and he was sure that one of the accountants, Jongdae, was getting it on with the boss).  
  
“I was reading up about that articulation thing you were telling me about the other night,” Jongin added, surprising Sehun as they lingered over another glass of wine and a shared slice of tiramisu. “I know that it is about joining the parts to make a perfect whole...but isn’t each part distinct in and of itself?” At Sehun’s nod he continued. “So each piece is unique and special….like an uptight but seriously sexy architect and an equally sexy but slightly klutzy dance professor….” Fingers reached over to skim over Sehun’s, the touch light and sensual and that thrill ran down Sehun’s spine once more.   
  
“I’m not sure that’s exactly how articulation wo---” Sehun’s protest was stopped by a pair of lips brushing against his own, the taste of merlot tantalizing as he returned the kiss awkwardly. He could feel Jongin’s smile against his own lips, then gasped as he felt the other’s tongue skimming against the seam of his mouth. The action only served to deepen the kiss, Jongin’s thumb tracing lazy circles against Sehun’s hand.   
  
“Come home with me,” Jongin gasped out as the kiss finally ended and they both fought for breath, foreheads pressing against each other. A nod was all it took - check paid for, tiramisu forgotten.  
  
Jongin hailed a cab and it was all they could do to keep their hands off each other in the back (Sehun was grateful that all they had received from the cabdriver was a raised eyebrow and a knowing look). Sehun squirmed as Jongin’s fingers traced the waistband of his trousers and dipped underneath, a solitary digit teasing the wet patch that was quickly forming at the front of his boxer briefs.  
  
The cab stopped at an apartment building and Sehun barely noticed, Jongin slipping the man payment and guiding Sehun inside with that same hand secure at the small of Sehun’s back - but this time he had slipped his fingers beneath Sehun’s shirt so there was direct contact, skin to skin. Unfortunately there was another couple getting onto the elevator so they couldn’t do much more than hold hands, Jongin’s thumb still doing that tormenting stroke against Sehun’s palm, smirking as Sehun tried not to squirm more.  
  
Finally the torment ended when they left the elevator on the 8th floor. Jongin dug out his keys and opened the door, guiding Sehun inside. Once the door was closed Jongin breathed out a ‘finally’ before pressing Sehun against the door and attacking him with lips and tongue and hands. The hand that had been teasing Sehun in the cab now worked on him in earnest, belt and zipper undone and Sehun’s trousers halfway down his thighs as Jongin pulled out his half-hard cock and stroked him to completion, ignoring Sehun’s cry of protest. The younger man looked embarrassed that he had come so easily but Jongin laughed it off, kissing Sehun in apology. “You needed to take the edge off, Sehunnie.” It was the first time the other had called him that and Sehun found he didn’t mind.   
  
Jongin took a step back, and then another, tugging Sehun forward. He helped the architect out of his trousers as they went, each step leading to another lost piece of clothing, leaving a trail of clothing, his as well as Sehun’s as they made their way to Jongin’s bedroom. “Like a perverted trail of bedcrumbs,” he murmured against Sehun’s lips, startling a laugh from the younger man. “I like your laugh, Sehunnie...wonder what other sounds I’ll like.”  
  
Jongin only stopped when the back of his thighs pushed up against his bed. By that time they were both naked and the dancer took his time in admiring the view before him. Sehun was pale and slender but not weak, his long limbs lean and sleek. He was planes and angles - the architect’s body suited him. His cock was already hard again and Jongin grinned at the flush of embarrassment that colored the other’s cheeks. He sat at the edge of the bed and spread his legs, pulling Sehun between them and licking a stripe up his abdominal wall and circling one nipple, eliciting a whimper of pleasure from the blond. “Yes, I like that sound too,” Jongin purred as he pulled his lips away, then moved to attack the neglected nipple, his fingers moving to caress Sehun’s ass (and what a nice ass it was).  
  
Sehun closed his eyes, savoring the feeling of Jongin’s lips and tongue and whispering ‘more’ in a hoarse voice, his own fingers running restlessly through Jongin’s hair in encouragement. Sehun figured that Jongin was strong as a dancer but didn’t realize just how strong until he felt the other man’s hands at his waist. The next thing he knew he was on his back as Jongin shifted their positions and hovered above him, smiling down with those full lips and dancing eyes.  
  
Jongin reached over, pulling open the drawer to his beside table and pulling out lube and a condom. He slid down Sehun’s body, leaving a trail of kisses and licks that left Sehun a whimpering, impatient mess. It didn’t take much to encourage the younger man to lift his legs, pulling his knees towards his chest and baring himself to the other. Sehun expected to feel the cool gel against his entrance and cried out in surprise when instead he felt the warmth of Jongin’s tongue as it skimmed over his rim then probed a little deeper. Jongin was gentle but persistent, tongue working its way past that tight ring of muscle until it gave way. Sehun moaned as Jongin added a well-slicked finger, working the younger man open while Sehun’s fingers dug into the sheets beneath him.  
  
Jongin pulled back and replaced his tongue with another finger, two working back and forth, circling to loosen that tightness. Sehun wasn’t a virgin but it  _had_  been a long time and Jongin sensed this. He waited until Sehun’s whispered ‘more’ before adding a third finger, his other hand curled around Sehun’s cock and stroking him in tandem with the movements of his other fingers.   
  
Finally Sehun opened his eyes and look up at Jongin. What the dancer saw in Sehun’s eyes made him nearly come right then and there. There was nothing analytical in Sehun’s gaze, just heat and desire and the whispered “I need you” was all Jongin needed. He slipped his fingers from Sehun and clumsily rolled the condom onto his cock, shifting position until he was face to face with the blond once more. The fit was tight even after three fingers but Jongin waited until he heard Sehun’s impatient ‘move’, rocking forward with a groan until he was buried balls-deep in the younger man. He kissed Sehun deeply as they hit a rhythm, muffling the other’s moans with his own.   
  
It  _had_  been a long time and it didn’t take long for Sehun’s second orgasm of the night to occur, Jongin’s fingers curled around his cock and stroking him in time with his thrusts. He tightened around the dancer as he rode his orgasm, toppling Jongin over the edge not long after. Jongin finally slipped out of Sehun, pulling off the used condom before tying it and tossing it into the bedside trash basket, then looked over at a flushed and satiated Sehun. Gone was the studious architect, slicked back hair replaced by what could only be called bedhead in the best way possible. He reached over and pulled Sehun in for a kiss, pleased when the other eagerly responded, his former shyness nowhere to be found.  
  
“I think we articulate pretty well together,” Jongin commented in satisfaction as they both collapsed back in bed, earning a laugh from his new lover.  
  
**************  
  
“You coming with us, Sehun?” Kyungsoo called out, pulling on his coat. “Kris is going to meet us at the bar and Dongwoo and Xiumin are going to meet us there,” he added, nodding at two of their colleagues who were just finishing their work for the day.  
  
Sehun looked up and smiled - Kyungsoo still couldn’t believe how much it transformed the other man. Getting laid did Sehun a lot of good. He was still a brilliant young architect but now he didn’t stay until midnight and seemed to enjoy his work so much more.  
  
“Yeah, let me just grab my stuff.” Gone were the starchy shirts buttoned up to the top button. Sehun was still sharply dressed but much more relaxed (‘You still look like a GQ model but without the stick up your ass’ Baekhyun told him the other day).  
  
“Say, Joonmyeon was complimenting you on your recent work the other day,” Kyungsoo remarked as they both finished getting ready. Jongin texted and said he’d meet them there.  
  
“Yeah, what did he say?” Sehun asked absentmindedly as he grabbed a drink of water from the fountain.  
  
“He said he was impressed with how well your articulation was coming along….”  
  
Sehun choked.


End file.
